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Northern Ireland’s DfC consults on changes to affordable housing definition
Northern Ireland’s Department for Communities (DfC) has launched a consultation proposing changes to the government definition of affordable housing.
The department – which is being run by civil servants in the absence of ministers at Stormont – has suggested the term should apply to a wider range of tenures in Northern Ireland.
Currently, only social rent and shared ownership are included, but officials suggested other intermediate products should be covered.
The proposed new definition is: “Affordable housing is housing provided for sale or rent outside of the general market, for those whose needs are not met by the market.
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“Affordable housing which is funded by government must remain affordable or, alternatively, there must be provision for the public subsidy to be repaid or recycled in the provision of new affordable housing.”
The DfC said the change is aimed at improving access to suitable housing and will not impact households’ ability to access social housing.
It also said the wider definition could help housing associations develop new affordable housing products.
